Cell screening device and cell screening kit

Abstract

A cell screening device including a bottom plate, a cell placement membrane, a pair of fluid injection parts, and a flow channel, the flow channel being formed between the bottom plate and the cell placement membrane and extending in such a manner that the flow channel end parts respectively reach the fluid injection parts. In the cell placement membrane, a plurality of wells, each having a size capable of housing a single cell, and through holes are formed. In the back side of each lid, i.e., the ceiling face of the flow channel end part, a debubbling surface, which rises in an inclined or step-like manner as getting closer to a fluid injection hole, is formed.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A cell screening device, comprising:
 a bottom plate part; 
 a cell placement part that is provided above the bottom plate part and has a cell placement surface thereon; and 
 a fluid injection part that is provided on the bottom plate part, which is horizontally separated from the cell placement part; 
 wherein a plurality of wells are formed on the cell placement surface of the cell placement part and have a size in which cells to be screened are individually accommodatable; 
 a flow channel is provided between the bottom plate part and the cell placement part, the flow channel having a flow channel end part extending to the fluid injection part; 
 each of the wells having a through-hole that leads to the flow channel from an inner bottom surface of each of the wells, the through hole having an inner diameter through which the cells to be screened are not passable; 
 the fluid injection part having a lid part that is horizontally separated by a partition from the cell placement part and the lid part airtightly blocks the flow channel end part; 
 the partition is higher than the fluid injection part; 
 a fluid injection hole provided in the lid part and leads to the flow channel end part; and 
 a bubble discharge surface is formed on a ceiling surface of the flow channel end part, which is a lower surface of the lid part, to surround the fluid injection hole, and the bubble discharge surface rises in an inclined surface shape or a stepped shape as the bubble discharge surface approaches the fluid injection hole. 
 
     
     
       2. The cell screening device according to  claim 1 , wherein the bubble discharge surface is formed over an entire surface of the ceiling surface of the flow channel end part in the lid part. 
     
     
       3. The cell screening device according to  claim 1 , wherein the bubble discharge surface is an inclined surface having a linear cross-sectional or curved cross-sectional shape, which is inclined by 5° to 45° with respect to a lower surface of the bottom plate part. 
     
     
       4. The cell screening device according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the bottom plate part has a rectangular shape having a long side and a short side, the fluid injection part, the lid part, the fluid injection hole, and the bubble discharge surface are each formed on both sides of the bottom plate part in a longitudinal direction. 
 
     
     
       5. The cell screening device according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the cell placement part is a membrane body, 
 a plurality of the wells are formed on an upper surface of the membrane body in a lattice form, and the through-hole that leads to the inner bottom surface of each of the wells is formed on a lower surface of the membrane body, 
 a frame body supports a periphery of the membrane body and surrounds the cell placement surface, and 
 an engaging part for detachably fixing the frame body is provided in the bottom plate part. 
 
     
     
       6. The cell screening device according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein a standing peripheral wall portion is formed in a circumference of the lid part, 
 the lid part and the peripheral wall portion are formed as an outer frame body that is detachably fixed on the bottom plate part, and 
 the frame body that supports the membrane body is detachably fixed to the outer frame body. 
 
     
     
       7. The cell screening device according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a peripheral wall portion that stands up from a circumference of the lid part is formed, and 
 the lid part and the peripheral wall portion are formed as an outer frame body that is detachably fixed on the bottom plate part. 
 
     
     
       8. The cell screening device according to  claim 1 , wherein a tubular port that stands up from a periphery of the fluid injection hole is formed on an upper surface of the lid part. 
     
     
       9. The cell screening device according to  claim 1 , wherein the fluid injection hole has a circular shape. 
     
     
       10. The cell screening device according to  claim 1 , wherein the fluid injection hole has a circular shape, and
 a circular port is formed on an upper surface of the lid part to stand up from a periphery of the fluid injection hole. 
 
     
     
       11. The cell screening device according to  claim 1 , wherein the bubble discharge surface has a truncated cone shape with the fluid injection hole as an apex. 
     
     
       12. The cell screening device according to  claim 11 , wherein an upper surface of the lid part is formed in a truncated cone shape so that fluid spilled from the fluid injection port can be accumulated in a peripheral area of the upper surface of the lid part that is away from the fluid injection port. 
     
     
       13. A cell screening kit, comprising:
 the cell screening device according to  claim 1 ; and 
 a detection particle that is a carrier particle on which a substance having a binding property to a secretion product of cells to be screened is immobilized.